


Awkward Is The New Cute

by ashsparagus



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: 5SOS - Freeform, AU, M/M, Slash, dinner date, mechanic ashton, model calum, sorry - Freeform, why cant i think of tags wow, yay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-26
Updated: 2014-02-26
Packaged: 2018-01-13 21:46:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1241770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashsparagus/pseuds/ashsparagus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashton's awkward, Calum's in love, Luke sets them up, and Michael isn't in this one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Awkward Is The New Cute

Awkward Is The New Cute [Cashton-AU}~

 

"Ashton!" Luke shouted for his roomate in the living room upon entering their shared flat.

"Lucas!" Ashton called back, though it sounded like more of a "Wookhas!" since his mouth was full of potato chips.

"Since you're my best friend and you totally love me," the younger boy grinned, setting his keys down on the counter, and was quickly interrupted by Ashton calling bullshit, "and you haven't got any since you got dumped by that asshole, Chad, I've done something quite lovely for you."

"Luke Hemmings, if you got me a sex toy I swear I will kick your-"

"Ash, I'm not that fucked up," Luke rolled his eyes, his face showing a smidge of repulsion. "I set you up with my coworker."

The older boy wrinkled his nose. "No."

"You need to get over this Chad douche," the blue eyed boy sat down on the couch next to Ashton.

"It's not Chad," Ashton reasoned, "You just have really shit taste in guys,"

The blonder boy just shrugged, "He's super nice. And he's hot. And funny, and he's perfect for you,"

"You said that about Blake, and Wesley, and Jeremy, and Rex-"

"That was the past man, just go on this date for me," Luke told his friend. "I even bought you clothes, because yours suck,"

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Ashton asked, looking down at his sweats and Panic! At The Disco tee. 

"You're going on a date, you can't wear band tees on dates."

"Why not?"

"Ashton, wear the god damn clothes," Luke sighed.

 

Four hours later, Ashton was dressed and clean shaven, looking better than he had in weeks. He looked nice, in a button down flannel with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. A light wash pair of jeans and blue Converse finished his outfit. Luke had managed to tame his wild, brunette curls with a comb, and he even smelled good.

"You ready?" Luke asked, fixing the collar on his roommate's blue shirt.

Ashton shrugged, "As I'll ever be," but on the inside, he was nervous. Not many of Luke's set ups worked very well, and he never ended up liking the other guy or having any fun. He was also a really bad talker. Ashton always managed to talk about awkward topics and say the wrong thing.

He heard the doorbell ring and felt his stomach turn. Luke offered to get the door, and Ashton took it right away. 

Why was he so much more nervous than other blind dates?

Ashton looked at himself in the mirror and splashed some water on his face. 'Don't fuck up, don't fuck up,' he repeatedly told himself.

He nervously played with his bracelets while making the agonizing journey to the living room where he assumed Luke and this Calum guy would be. Upon entering the living room, he found the boy he would be going on a date with.

Calum Hood.

Damn, was he gorgeous.

Cheekbone game's strong, Ashton thought to himself.

Luke was sitting and having a casual conversation with Calum; something he wished he was good at. The blonde looked up and smiled at Ashton. "Ash! This is Calum, he works with me at Hollister. Cal, this is my roommate Ashton," he then stood up and pushed the two forward so they could meet.

Calum seemed a little breathless to Ashton, but why would he? The shorter boy stuck his hand out anyway, "I'm Ashton. Luke said you were good looking. He was definitely right,"

Calum gave him an awkward half smile and shook back. "Calum,"

You done fucked up, Ash, he thought to himself, again. I really need to stop this whole thinking to myself. Fuck.

The three of them stood in a bit of an awkward silence before Luke cleared his throat. "Well, you guys have places to be, people to see, words to say, and we're losing daylight people!' He pushed the two out the front door after teasingly joking about using protection. Once out the front door, Calum just laughed at Luke's antics.

"It's okay," Ashton offered, "I don't have sex with people on the first date. I mean, not usually. Well, I haven't. Not yet. I'm not offering to have sex with you, I just-"

"No, it's fine, I know what you mean," Calum smiled at him. As awkward and uncomfortable Ashton was, the darker haired boy thought it was cute. "I don't have sex on the first date, either. Kind of a self-respect deal."

Ashton was certainly impressed by the car his date drove- a Range Rover that seemed to be in pretty good shape. He knew this because he had been working at a mechanic's shop for the past two years and knew quite a bit about cars. But lots of people thought that was weird, so he didn't bring it up.

"Where are we going for dinner?" The glasses wearing boy asked Calum, not recognizing the part of town they were driving through.

"It's actually in the next town over. It's a really great place, I've only been there once with my sister," Calum said, giving him a little smile.

He had a sister, Ashton thought, conversation! 

"You have a sister?" he asked. The younger boy just nodded. "Well, if she looks anything like you, she must be super hot," Ashton let his words run without a filter.

"Oh," the darker haired boy responded. "Yeah, I guess we look a little alike."

The curlier haired boy just nodded. After a couple seconds of silence, he brought on another question. "Where do you work again?"

"I model at Hollister," Calum answered, briefly glancing over at his date, who's gorgeous hazel eyes were shining behind his glasses. It made him smile a little.

"Oh, so do you take like, shirtless pictures and stuff?" Was that too much?

Calum giggled a little, "Yeah, I do some of the swimsuit stuff. It's kinda awkward sometimes, 'cause I usually have to kiss girls for pictures."

"But you're gay, so you don't like doing it, right?" the older boy questioned. Shit, Ashton, that was not a good question.

The taller boy gave him a bit of a funny look. "Yeah, I guess." Before Ashton could bring up something else, he turned on his radio. This Is Gospel by Panic! At The Disco was blasting through his speakers, bring a large grin to his face. "I love this band," he noted, turning the knob on the volume up higher.

"So do I! Luke wouldn't let me wear my band shirt here," Ashton grinned. 

"You like Panic!?" 

"Yeah, love 'em."

"Well, Ash, we've found something in common," 

Ashton tried to hide the blush Calum had given him with the nickname. Well, Ash, we've found something in common. The words kept repeating in his head. Ash. What a cute nickname.

"I don't know if this is weird to talk about on a date, but Brendon Urie is so hot," Calum noted, talking about the lead singer. 

"Oh god, his ass is great,"

"Innit?"

The two boys listened to the radio and talked about their favorite bands, both of them having All Time Low, McFly, My Chemical Romance, and blink-182 in common. They were both glad they found a common interest so they could be much less awkward.

But they arrived at the restaraunt. The car ride ended, meaning the music ended, meaning the comfortable conversation was over.

Ashton glanced out the window, getting a new flutter of butterflies in his stomach. He had to eat dinner with Calum and not fuck up more than he already had.

He got out of the car, making sure not to slip on the ice in the parking lot. That would be embarrassing. 

Walking towards the door, he felt Calum's gloved hand grab his mittened one. "Don't want either of us to fall," he grinned at the shorter boy. Both boys' breathing was visible in the chilly air, and both were eager to get inside where it was warm.

Once inside the Chinese restaurant, the waiter led them to a small table towards the back of the building. "I'll give you a few minutes to decide what you want. Can I get you something to drink first?"

"I'll have a Pepsi," Calum said politely.

"Can I please have, um, Sprite, please?" Ashton said, not nearly as smoothly as Calum. 

The waiter quickly left to bring the boys back their drinks, and the shorter boy asked his date, "Is there anything you recommend?"

"I've only had the sesame chicken, but it was fantastic," Calum told him, lightly brushing his feet against Ashton's, obviously up for a little game of Footsie.

"The mandarin chicken looks good," Ashton responded. He aimed under the table for Calum's feet, but ended up kicking him in the shin- hard. 

The younger boy bit his bottom lip to hide his grimace as Ashton blushed madly with embarrassment. "Oh god, I'm so sorry Cal!"

"Hey, don't worry about it; I'm fine," Calum assured him, subtly rubbing his leg with his palm. 

Ashton shook his head, "I'm so embarrassed,"

"No, don't be," the taller boy smiled. "It never happened, okay?"

Just as Calum was finishing his sentence that made Ashton feel massive amounts better about himself, the waiter came back to the table. Calum ended up ordering for both of them, since Ashton was already a bit shaky from kicking him.

Ashton played with his straw wrapper, not knowing what to say. Calum also sat awkwardly, drawing patterns in the sweat on his Pepsi glass. 

"So, uh," Calum finally said, breaking the silence, "do you like coffee?"

Ashton nodded, his floppy curls bouncing, "I go to a coffee place, like, every day. Luke makes fun of me,"

"I love coffee, but I usually can't have it if I have a shoot,"

"Well, why not?"

"I need perfect pearly whites, and my bosses and photographers will be mad if I have coffee stained teeth," Calum explained. "But I love it. And we should get some together sometime."

"Calum Hood, are you asking me on another date?" the older boy smiled shyly. 

"It seems as if I am," he responded smoothly. 

"My ex boyfriends tend to hang out at Starbucks, so you might have to make out with me so they know I'm not available," Ashton said in a matter-of-fact way. 

Calum raised his eyebrows a little, "Huh. Okay," 

Their waiter came back to the table, setting their plates down. Calum thanked him for the both of them, and picked up his fork. He looked across from him and saw Ashton cutting his Sweet & Sour Chicken into smaller bites. It made him smile; the older boy was just so fucking adorable. 

"Hey, Ash, wanna try some of my Kung Pao?" the darker haired boy held his fork out. He was expecting Ashton to take the fork, but he just ate the food straight from his hand. 

Ashton made a small sound of delight and swallowed, "That's really good. Want some of mine?"

The boys shared their food for the first couple minutes before deciding they liked the other's better and switching plates.

"Can I get the check please?" Calum asked the waiter once he came back.

"Would you like it split?"

Ashton gave Calum a nervous glance before the younger boy shook his head. "I've got it."

Calum paid for both of their dinners, and Ashton couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. "You didn't have to do that," 

"Don't mention it," 

"No really, I feel horrible. You don't have to buy me stuff, and it's really sweet that you did, and fuck you're cute, but you shouldn't need to pay for me, I have money-"

"Ash," he giggled, shushing him, "Let it go."

Before the older boy could protest, Calum grabbed his hand and led him out the door of the Chinese restaurant.

Walking out of the double doors, they were hit by a cold wind, chilling them both instantly. 

The second they got in Calum's car, they cranked up the heat and turned on the seat warmers. Ashton shivered and blew warm air on his hands, rubbing them together. Calum grabbed his left hand in his right and grinned, "Cold hands?"

The boys drove for about ten minutes before Calum muttered, "Shit,"

"What's wrong?"

"My car is fucked up," and then he pulled over to the shoulder, twisted the key with no results, and listened to the car make sputtering, dying horse noises. "Yup. Dead."

"Lemme take a look under the hood really quick," Ashton said, pushing open the door and going to the front of Calum's car. He gripped the cold hood and popped it open. 

"Do you know what you're doing?" Calum asked, looking worried. 

"I'm a mechanic," Ashton said, not looking up from the car. "It isn't as glamorous as modeling, I don't look very sexy while doing it. Unlike you."

Calum shrugged a bit. "It's sorta hot.. being underneath a car and coming out all covered in nasty shit. You'd be a sexy little grease monkey," he teased. 

Ashton's hands shook a little after Calum said that, and the taller boy laughed breathily, noticing the effect it had on him. 

"Ash, it's getting darker and a lot colder, why don't we just call a tow truck," Calum tried to reason, snowflakes starting to blow a little harder around them. 

Ashton gasped, "I can't just call a truck. That's, like, mechanic suicide. Not being able to fix the car yourself and having to have someone else do it,"

"Blame it on the lack of tools and the weather," the younger boy said, almost begging. "It's freezing, and your gloves aren't really doing you any justice."

The shorter boy took one last look under the hood before sighing and agreeing. "Okay. Fine,"

They got back in the car, and Ashton called the most reliable truck service he knew of, only to be informed it would be about an hour before it would get there. 

"Your car is freezing," Ashton looked up at Calum through his glasses. 

"I've got blankets in the backseat," and then the two of them crawled in the back instead of bringing them to the front. Why not. 

Ashton selected a batman blanket, as one would, and snuggled under the fluffy fabric. He looked up at Calum, who was wrapped in a stripy blanket, and bit his lip. He looked freezing.

"You cold?" Ashton asked. 

Calum nodded, "C'mere, let's share body heat."

Ashton giggled lightly and scooted across the backseat, leaning against the younger boy. They both turned their heads to talk at the same time, bumping noses. 

Calum gasped softly, feeling the curly haired boy's warm breath fan across his face. He swallowed nervously and licked his lips, looking down at Ashton's. 

Ashton froze, not knowing what to do. As close as he was to Calum's face, it should've been awkward. But it felt so right. 

Neither boy wanted to move. 

"Ash," Calum whispered, "Your lips look really cold."

"Why don't you warm them up for me?" he murmured, his lips lightly brushing Calum's. 

The younger boy lifted his chin to press his lips against Ashton's. Jesus, fucking fuck, Christ, he's a good kisser, Calum thought to himself. 

Ashton leaned forward into the kiss, bringing his hands behind the dark haired boy's neck. He leaned him back against the door, his tongue finding it's way into Calum's mouth, and how did that happen?

Calum's hands slid underneath the front of Ashton's shirt. He was impressed by the structure of his muscles. 

How does someone get abs like that? Calum wondered with envy as Ashton began sucking a mark into his neck. Now is not the time.

His hands slid back down the older boy's chest, gripping his belt loops and tugging on his pants. 

"Don't take my clothes off," Ashton said breathily, taking his mouth off of the taller boy's neck. "It's too cold for sex."

"No one said we had to take our clothes off," Calum mumbled against Ashton's lips, smiling softly as the older boy gently bit at his bottom lip. 

The two boys kissed- well, sucked face- for about ten more minutes before Calum put a hand on Ashton's chest. and pulled away. "Hey, hey, you're a great kisser. No, you're a fantastic kisser. But like we said before, no sex on first dates, and when I'm not modeling, I'm babysitting, and I don't exactly want little kids sitting in my backseat on sweaty teenager cum."

Ashton giggled, "Yeah, that makes sense," and then he pressed a soft kiss to Calum's forehead. "I guess we'll have to have a second date, then."

"You're really cute, you know," the taller boy noted. 

Ashton just shrugged, "I'm more awkward than anything else."

"It makes you so much cuter," Calum smiled, tilting his head to the side. 

Ashton didn't say anything, he just cuddled up against Calum and pressed a soft kiss to his neck. 

"I have a shoot in two days and there's gonna be a huge hickey on my neck, you asshole," Calum giggled, giving him a light shove. 

"And on your chest," Ashton laughed, pulling his shirt down to expose the dark bruise he had sucked into his skin. 

"Let's play Count Calum's Hickeys!" 

They counted four. 

"Hey, I think that's our tow truck," Ashton sat up, seeing the headlights flood into the dark car. 

"Noo, lay back down," Calum whined, wrapping his arms around Ashton's middle and pulling him down. 

"It's cold as fuck, I wanna go!" Ashton giggled. 

"Just kiss me first," Calum grinned. 

"Cheeky," Ashton teased, pecking Calum's lips before getting out of his dead car. 

He talked to the tow truck guy for a few minutes before being driven back home. Calum got out and walked him to the door. 

"I had fun tonight," he smiled, standing on his tippy toes and kissing him lightly on the lips. 

"Mhm, me too," Calum responded, biting his lip to keep from giggling at how adorable he was. 

"I'll call you," Ashton offered. 

"And I'll see you later," Calum bent down and gently kissed his cheek. 

"Bye," 

Ashton went inside and gushed to Luke about their date. How perfect it was, how sweet he was, how good of a kisser he was..

"And you thought it was gonna suck!" Luke laughed. 

"Hey, fifth times a charm!" 

"No, I'm just always right," he grinned. 

But Luke was so right. And if it weren't for Luke, Calum would've never met Ashton, and Ashton would've never met Calum. 

And they never would've fallen in love.


End file.
